Wire straightening blocks



June 2, 1959 E. B. ZELLER WIRE STRAIGHTENING BLOCKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 15, 1956 FIGS A 7UPNEV June 2, 1959 E. B, ZELLER 2,888,!974

WIRE STRAIGHTENING BLOCKS Filed Nov. 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 2,888,974 WERE STRAIGHTENING BLOCKS Edward B. Zeller, Allentown, Pa, assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application November 15, 1956, Serial No. 622,463 4 Claims. (Cl. 153-96) This invention relates to wire straightening blocks adapted for use particularly in commercially known wire straightening machines.

In the communication arts, straight wires of dilferent sizes and lengths are used in manufacturing, and particularly assembling, electrical units. These wires of predetermined lengths are produced from supplies stored on supply reels. When each wire is withdrawn from its reel, there are certain bends therein created by the winding of the wire on the reel. The bends vary with variations in the sizes of the turns of the wire on the reel. These bends in the wire must be removed to condition the wire for use. A commercially known machine has a housing like portion of a hollow spindle to receive pairs of blocks, each pair being adapted to put a single bend in the wire advancing longitudinally to the hollow spindle. The bends made by the pairs of blocks are formed in reverse order to etfectively straighten wires of given diameters. The single bends produced by each pair of blocks of the conventional machine have proven satisfactory for what may be defined as standard or coarser Wires but they have proven ineffective for smaller or finer wires.

The object of the present invention is the provision of wire straightening blocks adapted to produce "multiple bends in a wire advanced longitudinally therethrough to solve the problem of straightening fine wires.

According to the object, the present embodiment of the invention includes wire straightening blocks adapted for use in a machine having a rotatable shaft axially apertured for the advancement of a wire in a longitudinal path therethrough and having an intermediate hollow portion to receive the blocks and clamp them in companion pairs therein. The companion pairs of blocks include body members having reduced ends adapted to overlap and be spaced from each other for the advancement of the wire therebetween and pins carried by the reduced ends and extending transversely of the path to create multiple bends in the wire while advancing longitudinally through each pair of blocks.

More specifically, the reduced ends of theblocks have out-of-line slots therein and pins carried by the reduced ends and extending transversely of the path and into the slots of their companion reduced ends to create multiple bends in the wire while advancing longitudinally through each pair of blocks. Furthermore, the blocks are adjustable relative to each other and the pins are thereby movable in their respective slots to vary the degrees of the bends in the wire.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is an isometric view of one of the blocks;

Fig. 2 is an isometric View of another of the blocks;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a pair of the blocks in assembly;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary isometric View of a portion of a machine illustrating the initial threading of the wire and the assembling of the blocks in the machine;

2,888,974- Patented June 2, 1959 Fig. 5 is a fragmentaryfront elevational view, partially in section, of a portion of the machine illustrating five pairs of blocks mounted therein;

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the machine with the blocks mounted therein, and

Fig. 7 is a schematic illustration of two possible positions of the pins in each pair of blocks.

In the present embodiment of the invention, there are five pairs of blocks each including a block 10 (Fig. 1) and a block 11 (Fig. 2). The blocks 10 and 11 are substantially identical in structure including initially rectangular body members 12 and 14 reduced at like ends to provide portions 15 and 16 which may overlap in assembly, as shown in Fig. 3, leaving a space .17 therebetween of sufiicient width for the passage of a wire 18 to be straightened. The portion 15 of the body 12 has a hardened pin 20 mounted substantially centrally therein and slots 21 parallel with each other and spaced evenly upon each side of the pin. The portion 16 of the body M has hardened pins 23 mounted therein, for registration with the slots 21, and an intermediate slot 24 positioned to receive the pin 20.

The commercially known machine selected to illustrate the invention and indicated generally at 25 includes a spindle 27 which is hollow for the advancement of the wire 18 longitudinally therethrough. The spindle is journalled in bearings 28 of a carriage 29 and has a pulley 30 mounted on one end thereof and operatively connected to a motor (not shown) by a belt 31. The carriage 29 is reciprocated on its track 33 through the rocking of a lever 34. The lower end of the lever 34 is pivoted at 35 while the upper end is connected at 36 to an arm 37 com nected at 38 to an eccentric drive 39. The drive 39 is a part of a machine adapted to advance the straightened wire intermittently and cut it into predetermined lengths. The lever 34 is connected at 40 to carriage 29 and through the operation of the eccentric drive 39, the carriage is reciprocated between predetermined limits during continuous rotation of the spindle 27. An intermediate portion 42 of the spindle 27 is shown more in. detail in Figs. 4 and 5. The portion 42 is made hollow at .3 and provided with four apertures 44- to receive and house the conventional straightening blocks and has been utilized to receive and house the straightening blocks 10 and 11. The cavity 43 is of a suitable contour to receive the pairs of blocks with portions 45 to seat the pairs of blocks and set screws 46 with lock nuts 47 to adjust and hold the pairs of blocks in position.

Initially the wire 18 is threaded through the hollow spindle 27 with the set screws 46 moved outwardly. The pairs of blocks are then assembled as illustrated in Fig. 4 by drawing aloop of the wire 18 through one of the apertures 44 positioning the wire, for example, in front of the pins 23 of the block 11 then moving the block it) into the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4- causing the wire to ride upon like sides of the pins 23 and upon the opposing side of the pin 20. The pair of blocks may be inserted through the aperture 44 and located on its respective seat 45. In following this procedure, additional loops may be formed successively through the next opening or aperture 44 to assemble the pairs of blocks thereon until the five pairs of blocks have been assembled in the selected manner preferably alternately positioned as illustrated in Fig. 5 after which the set screws with the lock nuts 47 may be adjusted to adjust the relative positions of the blocks in each pair. At this time, the leading end of the who may be drawn taut and connected to its advancing means which may constitute a conventional machine adapted to cut the straightened wire into predetermined lengths.

After the initial threading of the wire, the machine 25 may be set in operation causing continuous rotation of the spindle with the blocks and reciprocation of the carriage to thereby impart rotary as well as reciprocable axial movement to the blocks to straighten the wire 18 as it is advanced longitudinally,

The presence of the hardened pins permits the formation of the blocks out of any desired material which does not have to be hardened to withstand the wear of the wire thereon. The hardened pins are the only portions subjected to wear and they may be sufficiently small in diameter to produce the desired sharp bends to bring about straightening of the finer wires. By reference to finer wires, an example may include a wire having a diameter of .005 inch which must be straightened to a maximum camber allowance of .015 inch in a part threequarters of an inch long. The use of the small hardened pins permits grouping of a plurality of the pins in each pair of blocks with the embedding of the fixed ends of the pins in their respective blocks and the housing of the free ends of the pins in slots adapting the blocks for adjustment of the pins to bring about variation in the degrees of the bends in the wire while passing through each pair of blocks. This variation is illustrated in Fig. 7 comparing one position of the pins 20 and 23 in solid lines with another location of these pins in dotted lines.

-; This adjustment is made possible through the set screws and their lock nuts and particularly through the relative movement of the overlapping portions 15 and 16 of the blocks.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. Wire straightening blocks adapted for use in a wire straightening machine having a rotatable shaft axially apertured for the advancement of a wire in a longitudinal path therethrough and having an enlarged hollow portion disposed intermediate its ends adapted to receive the blocks and clamp them in companion pairs therein, the companion pairs of blocks comprising body members of like dimensions mounted with their respective sides disposed in like planes and having their inner end portions reduced more than half their thicknesses so that their inner end portions overlap and the inner surfaces thereof are positioned a spaced distance from each other sufficient for controlled advancement of the wire therebetween, and pins carried by the reduced ends and extending transversely of the path in the space between the reduced ends to create multiple bends in the wire while advancing through each pair of blocks.

2. Wire straightening blocks adapted for use in a wire straightening machine having a rotatable shaft axially apertured for the advancement of a wire in a longitudinal path therethrough and having an enlarged hollow portion disposed intermediate its ends adapted to receive the blocks and clamp them in companion pairs therein, the companion pairs of blocks comprising body members of like dimensions mounted with their respective sides disposed in like planes and having their inner end portions reduced more than half their thicknesses so that their inner end portions overlap and the inner surfaces assaewr thereof are positioned a spaced distance from each other sufiicient for controlled advancement of the wire therebetween, the reduced end portions having out-of-line slots therein, and pins, each having one end fixed to its reduced end portion and extending transversely the path, the space between the end portions and into its respective slot of the other end portion, to jointly create multiple bends in the wire while advancing longitudinally through each pair of blocks.

3. Wire straightening blocks adapted for use in a wire straightening machine having a rotatable shaft axially apertured for the advancement of a wire in a longitudinal path therethrough and having an enlarged hollow portion disposed intermediate its ends adapted to receive the blocks and clamp them in companion pairs therein, the companion pairs of blocks comprising body members of like dimensions mounted with their respective sides disposed in like planes and having their inner end portions reduced more than half their thicknesses so that their inner end portions overlap and the inner surfaces thereof are positioned a spaced distance from each other sufiicient for controlled advancement of the wire therebetween, the pairs of blocks with their reduced end portions surrounding the path of the wire and having pins fixed at single ends to their respective reduced end portions traversing the path and having free ends slidable in slots of their companion reduced end portions to change the path of the wire to create multiple bends in the wire while advancing longitudinally through each set of blocks.

4. Wire straightening blocks adapted for use in a wire straightening machine having a rotatable shaft axially apertured for the advancement of a wire in a longitudinal path therethrough and having an enlarged hollow portion disposed intermediate its ends adapted to receive the blocks and clamp them in companion pairs therein, the companion pairs of blocks comprising body members of like dimensions mounted with their respective sides disposed in like planes and having their inner end portions reduced more than half their thicknesses so that their inner end portions overlap and the inner surfaces thereof are positioned a spaced distance from each other sufiicient for controlled advancement of the wire therebetween, the pairs of blocks with their reduced end portions surrounding the path of the wire and having pins fixed at single ends to their respective reduced end portions, traversing the path and having free ends slidable in slots of their companion reduced end portions to change the path of the wire to create multiple bends in the wire while advancing longitudinally through each set of blocks, variations in the positions of the overlapping reduced end portions, caused by movement of the blocks in each pair toward each other and the sliding of the free ends of the pins in their slots, cause variation in the degrees of the bends in the wire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

